Whitefish passes resolution urging folks to wear face masks

Whitefish is “strongly encouraging” residents and visitors to wear face masks when outside the home related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

City Council on Monday unanimously passed a resolution that stops just short of requiring folks to wear face coverings in public spaces and inside businesses. It does, however, say that if the city finds that guidelines aren’t being followed it may consider passing an ordinance which would require masks and provide penalties for those who don’t follow the rules. The resolution is in effect immediately and is set to expire in two months unless Council decides to extend it further.

Councilor Ryan Hennen seemed to address confusion by some that the resolution would require people to wear face masks.

“This is not a mandate at all,” he said. “We’re saying you should wear one, but there is no enforcement behind this. This is a small sacrifice and a gesture to make to anyone in the community to keep them safe.”

Councilor Rebecca Norton said the wearing of masks is a local health issue that must be taken seriously.

“Wearing masks is a mechanism for helping our neighbors,” Norton said. “It’s a small thing to do. This is in the best interest of our community.”

Council received more than 500 emails and heard more than an hour of public testimony Monday regarding the issue. More than 60% of the emails were in favor of wearing masks, while 30% were against and the rest fell somewhere in the middle, according to the city.

Public comments in person to Council fell strongly on the side of those who are against wearing masks.

Catherine Owens, who is a Republican running for House District 5, said that the data doesn’t support the need to wear masks and doing so would destroy the community.

“I trust that if you’re sick, you’ll stay at home,” she said. “This is creating divisiveness between those who wear it and those who don’t. This is literally changing the face of this town.”

Stacey McGough, of McGough & Co. jewelry, said she doesn’t require customers to wear a mask in her store. She pointed out that as a business that relies on 75% of its sales from tourism, requiring masks would be detrimental.

“I’m infuriated by this and surprised that so many people are in favor of this,” she said. “We welcome anyone to our store with or without a mask.”

Vita Wright, who noted she felt to come to the Council meeting to comment after watching the meeting online, said she supports wearing of masks pointing to states that haven’t taken the issue seriously and are facing a large influx of coronavirus cases.

“This is to slow the rate of transmission so the health care system can take care of us,” Wright said of wearing masks.

Alonso Conrad said Council has a moral obligation to enforce wearing masks.

“This is about the safety of residents and you must demonstrate leadership,” he said. “It’s the summer tourist season and people are coming here. This is about encouraging businesses to protect their employees.”

The resolution says that individuals “should” wear masks or face coverings when in indoor public settings or commercial spaces. Masks are also encouraged in outdoor gatherings of 20 or more people where social distancing is not possible.

It also says that employers should provide access to masks or cloth face coverings to employees to use while at work and that businesses should recommend all patrons wear masks and post signs stating as such.

The guidelines don’t apply to children under the age of 6, those who can’t wear a mask due to an existing condition or those who it would interfere with breathing, those who can’t perform the duties of their profession while wearing a mask, individuals who do not have contact with the public and can maintain social distancing with other employees, and individuals who are seated at a restaurant or bar while eating and drinking.

Councilor Andy Feury said the resolution is aimed at following state and federal guidelines that strongly encourage wearing of a mask, and also strives to strike a compromise.

“There is people that want a mandate to wear a mask and those that don’t — we’re trying to strike a balance between that with a compromise,” he said. “We just need to look out for each other.”

The Montana COVID-19 Task Force last week announced that the state had passed 1,000 for cumulative cases of the virus. As of Tuesday morning, the total number of cases in the state was 1,327 with more than 105,000 tests having been completed.

Flathead County has 64 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 and 16 active cases.

Flathead City-County Health Department continues to encourage community members to be diligent in efforts to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. The Centers for Disease Control recommends social distancing to help reduce person-to-person transmission, and local health officials want to emphasize the importance of prevention measures.

“We urge you to think critically about the events you attend,” said Hillary Hanson, Health Officer of the Flathead City-County Health Department. “If gatherings are not abiding by social distancing or hygiene practices, consider leaving or altering your plans. We need to make smart decisions for ourselves, for our families, and for our community.”

The health department reminds people to, wear a cloth face covering when in public, socially distance and stay at least 6 feet apart from non-household members, wash hands frequently with soap and water or use hand sanitizer, and stay at home if you are sick.

For more information, visit https://www.flatheadhealth.org/novel-coronavirus-covid-19/.